The primary sector receives 20 million, with aid to farms with outstanding credit and to plant chestnuts

The Galician Government has approved, within the framework of the distribution of extra resources linked to the solvency of the accounts, a package of measures amounting to almost 20 million euros to support the primary sector, with actions that include direct aid to dairy farms with pending credits and the promotion of chestnut plantation in the community.

The Galician president, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has informed of this at the end of the Council of the Xunta, in a press conference in which the reserve of additional funds has also advanced for the parcel rallies, to minimize the damage caused by species such as the wild boar. and the wolf, or, in the coastal area, for pontoons and security improvements.

The new package of measures, this time focused on the primary sector, comes after the Executive in recent weeks approved other groups of actions in the economic, health or social areas, which included the expansion of aid of 100 euros per month of the ‘Tarvâta Benvida’ for babies born in 2017.

Specifically, for the dairy sector, a line of direct aids will be approved for holders of farms that have financial difficulties arising from their activity.

“We are talking about a contribution of 3 million euros to help those farms that have difficulties derived from a loan linked to the farm: that was refinanced, that extended the payment term or the grace period, that has a judicial resolution of execution of mortgage or debts with suppliers, “he said.

CHESTNUTS AND “DIVERSIFICATION”

On the other hand, with the aim of “diversifying” the possibilities in the rural areas, a line of almost 2.6 million euros will be allocated to plant in Galicia almost one million chestnuts, 1,000 hectares and benefiting almost 700 families.

“It is a historic decision,” said Feijóo, who explained that “the maximum area (of the chestnut plantation) is flexibilized, without limits, and the minimum areas are reduced” in response to the “complaints” made by the producers to be able to access the subsidies.

Likewise, in the coming months a contribution of 4.2 million euros will be injected to close the already very advanced concentrations and to decree new restructuring zones.

In this line, several works will be carried out that will make available to the owners the farms affected by different processes of land consolidation, and that will facilitate access to farms or the improvement of communications in more than 36,000 hectares, “benefiting in total to more than 25,000 families. “

“We also decided to start work on new areas of land restructuring, acting on more than 8,700 hectares, which will benefit more than 3,300 owners,” he added.

INFRASTRUCTURES AND DAMAGE

In the field of infrastructures, the head of the Xunta has specified that the regional government will allocate 4.5 million euros to fine-tune numerous infrastructures in a total of 25 municipalities.

It will also seek to reduce the damage caused by certain animal species -especially wild boar and wolf- on agricultural crops. Thus, 2 million euros will be allocated to various tasks of prevention and aid to those affected.

With regard to the fishing sector, Feijóo has stressed that 3 million euros are reserved for the purpose of immediately undertaking improvement works on pontoons and improving the security of the ports.

“SUPERÁVIT DE RESPONSABILIDAD”

Feijóo has explained, to questions from the media, that this package of measures for the primary sector closes the distribution of what he calls “surplus of responsibility”, the more than 200 million extra that Galicia will receive for meeting the deficit.

According to his calculations, the measures linked to health, education, health, employment and family, among other areas, cost between 155 and 157 million euros.

To this, we must add another 25 million, cost in which Feijóo has encrypted the return of public employees of the specific supplement accrued from the first extra pay of 2013. The decision will materialize through a bill that the Xunta will send to the Galician Chamber in the coming weeks.

In total, the investment so far is about 180 million, so the Xunta will still have “a reserve of prudence” to enhance the programs that work best or deal with unforeseen events.

VINEYARD

Apart from the extra resources of the “surplus of responsibility”, Feijóo has informed that the Xunta will allocate 1.7 million to the new call for aid for restructuring and reconversion of the Galician vineyard.

Likewise, Xunta and Cetmar will collaborate to consolidate the aquaculture activity in Mozambique and strengthen its fisheries research. The Galician Government will contribute 105,500 euros to a cooperation project that will contribute to the fight against poverty in the province of Cabo Delgado.